ES (2023)
US Forest Service
Tuscon, AZ
I have a PhD in a science field and served as on "-ologist" on interdisciplinary teams on legacy mandated processes. I will answer describe my job in the form of a 5-point list of what I would have done last week had I not been terminated:
Finished my training for a firefighter Type 2 qualification. I had done almost all of the preliminary training. This qualification means I could be called up as part of a militia fire-fighting team throughout the summer during what is expected to be a severe fire year in my region.
Continued working on a code I’m writing to identify areas where fire fuels are increasing on public lands and may become dangerous in the future.
Reviewed publicly accessible websites in my region to ensure that all information is up-to-date and accurate.
Finished a template for an automated report on a legally mandated monitoring issue, which could be used across the country, saving a conservative estimate of 1,500 hours of labor annually (almost 10 months of one person full-time).
Reviewed potential land management plan components for scientific accuracy and legality as part of an effort to make management plan revisions, a legally required process, more efficient.
I got my degree and postdoctoral fellowship through a public university and grants from the National Science Foundation, meaning that the taxpayers have already made a significant investment in my education and training. I saw public service to a shared resource as a way to pay back that investment. Before accepting my government position, I was interviewing for positions in private industry offering almost double my government salary. I chose my job because I care about public lands and believe in the mission of my agency.
In the year I applied to the PMF program, there was an acceptance rate of 7% and a placement rate of under 4%. In return for the government's investment in my hiring, training, and salary, I have implemented efficiencies in legally required processes that amount to a savings more than triple the amount spent on me. Hiring people who have the skills to improve internal processes while still fulfilling legal requirements, including fidelity to the best available scientific information, is an efficiency that serves taxpayers.
Like many, I am crushed by my firing and especially by the lies contained in my termination letter. My performance was exemplary, with exclusively positive annual reviews, quarterly conversations, and ad-hoc check-ins. I received 2 group performance awards in my first year. It is hard to process my sadness over projects I am leaving behind while also trying to find my next step.